Tags & Description
motivation
need/desire that energizes and directs behavior
instinct
complex, unlearned behavior that is patterned throughout a species
drive reduction theory
a physiological need creates an aroused tension state that motivates an organism to satisfy that need
homeostasis
the tendency to maintain a balanced internal state
incentive
stimulus that motivates behavior
yerkes-dodson law
the principle that performance increases with arousal up to a certain point, then decreases
hierarchy of needs
pyramid of human needs in order of importance
glucose
blood sugar, influences hunger
set point
the point where one’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set
basal metabolic rate
the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure
sexual response cycle
4 stages of sexual responding (excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution)
refractory period
resting period after orgasm
sexual dysfunction
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal/functioning
estrogens
female sex hormones
testosterone
male sex hormones
ostracism
social exclusion
facial feedback effect
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings
health psychology
provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine
catharsis
“releasing” aggressive energy relieves urges
feel good, do good phenomenon
the tendency to be more helpful when in a good mood
subjective well being
self perceived happiness/satisfaction with life
adaptation level phenomenon
the tendency to form judgements relative to a neutral level defined by prior experience
relative deprivation
the perception that we’re worse off than who we compare ourselves to
stress
how we perceive and respond to stressors
general adaptation syndrome
body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
tend and befriend response
under stress people usually provide support to others and also seek support from others
psychophysiological illness
stress related physical illness
psychoneuroimmunology
study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together and impacts health
lymphocytes
2 types of white blood cells- B form in bone marrow, T forms in thymus and other lymphatic tissue
coronary heart disease
clogging of vessels that nourish the heart
type a
competitive, hard driving, impatient
type b
easygoing and relaxed
free association
method of exploring the unconscious where the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind
psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts/actions to the unconscious
unconscious
to freud: a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts
to modern scientists: information processing we’re unaware of
id
unconscious energy that strives to satisfy sexual and aggressive drives
ego
largely conscious/executive part of personality
superego
represents internalized ideals, provides standards for judgement and future aspirations
psychosexual stages
childhood stages of development where the id focuses on erogenous zones
oedipus complex
a boys sexual desires towards his mother, jealousy towards father
identification
process when kids incorporate their parents’ values into their superegos
fixation
lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies
defense mechanisms
ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety
repression
banishing bad memories from consciousness
psychodynamic theories
modern approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious/childhood experiences
collective unconscious
carl jung’s concept of a shared/inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
projective test
a personality test that is designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
thematic apperception test (tat)
projective test where people express thoughts/interests through made up stories
rorschach inkblot test
most common projective test, seeks to identify inner feelings through the interpretation of inkblots
false consensus effect
the tendency to overestimate the extent that others share our beliefs/behaviors
terror management theory
theory of death related anxiety
humanistic theories
view personality with a focus on potential for personal growth
self actualization
motivation to fulfill one’s potential
unconditional positive regard
attitude of total acceptance toward another person
self concept
thoughts and feelings about ourselves
trait
characteristic pattern of behavior
personality inventory
a questionnaire to gauge a range of feelings and behaviors
minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (mmpi)
most widely used personality test, identifies emotional disorders
empirically derived test
test developed by testing a pool of items and selecting those that discriminate between groups
conscientousness
organized, careful, discipined
agreeableness
soft hearted, trusting, helpful
neuroticism
anxious, insecure, self pitying
openness
imaginative, likes variety, independent
extroversion
outgoing, likes socializing, affectionate
social cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits and social context
behavioral approach
focuses on effects of learning on personality development
reciprocal determinism
interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
positive psychology
study of optimal human functioning
self
center of personality, organizer of thoughts/feelings/actions
spotlight effect
thinking everyone is watching and judging you
self esteem
feelings of self worth
self efficacy
sense of competence and effectiveness
self serving bias
readiness to perceive oneself favorably
narcissism
excessive self love and self absorption
individualism
prioritizing your own goals over group goals
collectivisim
prioritizing group goals over your own goals
psychometrics
the field of psych that focuses on testing, measurement, assessment, etc
educational psychologist
the study of how people learn
debrief
after an experiment when the researchers go over it with participants
random sample
when every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen
ivan pavlov
discovered classical conditioning with dog experiment
john watson
founded the behaviorism perspective
top down processing
using background knowledge and expectations to interpret what we see
transduction
when sensory stimulus transforms into neural impulses
assimilation of schema
new knowledge is added to schema
accommodation of schema
altering preexisting schema
principle of conservation
knowing that a quantity doesn’t change even if its been altered
cross sectional study
type of research where you collect data from many different people at one point in time
stereotype threat
occurs when there is the opportunity for an individual to confirm a negative stereotype of a group of which she is a member
action potential
when a neuron sends information down the axon